Perhaps
it’s the many hours of darkness in the Alaskan winter.Throughout this vast region, the celebration
of Our Lord’s birth begins early and ends very reluctantly.

In many
homes, you’ll find window lights and decorated trees as early as
Thanksgiving
Day.Over KNOM, you’ll hear hymns and
Christmas carols throughout the month of December, with a
volunteer-produced
radio play almost every day.It’s a time
when our mission station really sparkles.

As we
gather to celebrate the birth of Christ, we will especially remember
you in our
prayers, as we do every day.We pray
that God keep you close, and that He protect and guide you and those
you
love.May you enjoy a wonderful, blessed
Christmas!

TREE’S
COMPANY (left):KNOM volunteer
public affairs specialist Clinton White checks out ice-covered willow
bushes on
a mountainside north of Nome.

We live
on tree-less tundra, and these little willows are the closest thing to
trees
you’ll find.

The cost
of air freighting traditional firs is high, and one of these
ice-covered
willows will serve as the KNOM studio’s holiday tree.

SPOT
CHECK: KNOM
broadcasts four
inspirational and four educational spots each hour. Recent
educational spots taught science and
history, affirmed Alaska Native culture, taught
nutrition, exercise, safety, domestic violence, child abuse and dealing
with alcoholic parents, among many other topics. Thank you for
making this work possible.

INSPIRATIONAL SPOT: When Jesus called
that Christmas week, I
wasn’t at my best and the house was much too cluttered to entertain a
guest.He seemed to notice everything:
the cards still unaddressed, the gifts piled high awaiting wraps, the
baking
and the rest.

His Eyes fell on the
evergreen and the presents ‘neath the tree, “It’s My birthday that you
celebrate…what are you giving Me?”

“What am I giving
Him?” I thought.Ashamed, no words I found.So many costly things I’d bought.He looked at me and frowned.I
prayed He’d let the question pass, but when
He did persist, I blurted out the truth at last.“You
were not on my list.”

At
left, business manager Florence Busch
received a standing ovation at the Anchorage awards ceremony, as she
was proclaimed Alaska Broadcast Employee
of the Year.The accolade came as a
great surprise.As the dedicated hard
work of the award-winner was being praised, Florence joked “this person
needs a life!” a moment before her image was projected on the screen.

Next to
Florence is Amy Flaherty, whose
programs on the whaling festival in the village of Point Hope won Best Radio News Feature Series.Amy
also holds KNOM’s award for Best Radio Web Site.

And at
right, Julia Dunlap holds the Best Radio Entertainment
Program award,
won by former KNOM’ers Andrew McDonnell and Mike Nurse, and the Goldie
for Best Radio Service to the Community,
which she and Paul won for their investigative reporting into organic
pollutants left by the government in villages on St. Lawrence Island.

As we
have said many times, the best
awards are the loyalty of our listeners and of the many friends who
make our
work possible.Thank you!

LIGHT NEWS:We’re
all looking forward to December 23rd,
the day when our daylight begins to increase again.For several days, Nome sees only 3 hours 54
minutes of very low-angle sun.At high
noon, a 6-foot person casts a shadow 170 feet long!

Please
consider adding missions like KNOM
to your will.Such a gift can make a
great positive difference in thousands of lives for many years.

INSPIRATIONAL
SPOT: As I put up my
Christmas tree, help me, Lord
to decorate my life, too.For each
ornament I hang, let me bring a kindness to someone.For each bright colored light, a smile and a
laugh to another, so that my life radiates joy as much as my tree.

TOGETHER(left):Since August, it’s been impossible to capture
everyone on the KNOM staff in one photograph, due to staff travel for
news
gathering, volunteer recruiting and a couple of well-deserved vacations.This is the best that we could do, in the
first week of November, with volunteer music director Anna Dummer on a
trip and
spiritual director Fr. Mark Hoelsken, SJ pastoring in villages, as he
does 99%
of the time.

KNOM is the oldest
Catholic radio station in the United States, beaming strong thanks
to you.

INSPIRATIONAL
SPOT: Blessed Child upon the
hay, please listen to
my prayer, for I am a sinner and miles away from Bethlehem.

I have no frankincense or gold.The
shepherds brought you sheep.I don’t have
even a lamb.I have only my heart, Blessed
Child, but if
You accept it, it will soon glow with love.And
as years pass, I know it will become a joy to you.

Blessed Child now grown, listen to my
prayer today.For I am a sinner and
miles away from Bethlehem.

INSPIRATIONAL SPOT:Falling snow…Christmas
carols…lights glistening…the special sights and
sounds of church at Christmas…It’s the most memorable and nostalgic
time of the
year.And such an appropriate time to
make peace in our families and among relatives and friends.Are there any old wounds in us that need
healing?God promised peace on earth to
those of good will.And He keeps His
promises.

VERY
ACCEPTING (left):At left, KNOM
general manager Tom Busch accepts KNOM’s 2003 Gabriel Radio
Station of the
Year Award from Frank Morock, president of the Catholic Academy of
Communications Arts Professionals.

Our 11th Gabriel was presented
at a ceremony in St. Louis.

KNOM is
the only small station, and the
only religious station, to win this prestigious award, which was
created to
encourage positive use of radio and television.

According to Tom, accepting awards on
behalf of the staff and its benefactors “is about the most fun thing in
the
world.I am blessed to be surrounded by
such wonderful people.”

THIRTY
YEARS AGO:Christmas 1973, KNOM produced its first Christmas play,
Dickens’
“A Christmas Carole,” produced by and starring volunteer engineer Roy
Wells as
Scrooge.The elaborate program,
assembled by volunteer Peter Van Nort, remains one of KNOM’s best
efforts.

It barely made it on the air:Pete was splicing the second half of the
taped program, using sticky tape and a razor blade, while the first
half was playing
on the air!

That month, a local family’s Christmas gift to
the staff
was fresh milk, a luxury which the mission could not afford to provide
its volunteer
workers.

HEROINE:A
six-year-old girl in the village of Toksook Bay is credited with
saving two little boys from drowning.Little
Cecelia Pitka heard screams coming from the bay and
discovered
that her younger brother Mark had fallen through the new, thin ice.She ran for her father.He
and others found Mark face down in the
water, and when they pulled him out, discovered a 3-year-old boy
beneath him.

Both
boys were unconscious, but were
revived with C.P.R., and have made full recoveries.

There
is so much tragic news to report
that you can imagine how delighted the KNOM news crew were to announce
this
story over the air.

(Left)
This image locates Toksook Bay in relation to Nome.

274
miles south of Nome on the rugged Alaska coast, ToksookBay is a village where
Yup’ik Eskimo traditions remain strong.KNOM
reception is spotty there, and it’s one of thirteen
locations for
which we’ve applied to install a translator, which is a low-power
transmitter
that will provide the village an excellent KNOM signal.

Thank
you once again for your financial
help and your prayers.From everyone on
the KNOM staff, we send you prayers, fond greetings, and wishes for you
to
enjoy a holy Christmas that is filled with joy.May
God greatly bless you.

INSPIRATIONAL SPOT:It’s Christmas.Let us love.Now
that we have been shown how.